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MAKKAH: Muslim World League Secretary-General Abdullah Al-Turki held talks here Sunday with Abdussalam Vaniyambalam, rector of the Islamic University in Kerala and commended the university’s efforts in spreading the message of Islam in India.

Vaniyambalam, who has attended the interfaith conference organized by the MWL in Geneva last year, commended Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for launching the interfaith initiative, adding that it would contribute to peaceful coexistence between the followers of different faiths.

He also praised King Abdullah for his support to Muslims all over the world, especially Indian Muslims. The rector expressed his organization’s desire to strengthen cooperation with Saudi universities. “We also intend to strengthen our ties with the MWL, especially in promoting interfaith dialogue,” he said.

Vaniyambalam said Al-Turki pledged support for a project to establish an institute of science and technology in Malappuram, a Muslim majority district in Kerala. The institute will have engineering, science and arts colleges.

“The institute will be established in a new educational city covering an area of 100 acres. It will have modern educational facilities and hostels for both boys and girls,” the rector said. “The project aims at educational uplift of Indian Muslims,” he added.

He described his university as one of the largest Islamic institutions of higher learning in India with more than 1,300 students.

Established in 1955, the university has colleges for the Holy Qur’an, Shariah, Usuluddin, Dawa and languages in addition to an institute for Islamic economics and an Islamic college for girls.

Vaniyambalam met with Rahmatullah Inayatullah, director of international conferences at MWL, and his deputy Ahmed Masoud Rahmatullah and discussed prospects of expanding cooperation between the MWL and the university.